A little from Oklahoma, USA, wanted to raise an octopus since he was 3 years old. His father finally fulfilled his wish when he turned 9 years old. He bought a female octopus from a local aquarium store, which soon began to lay 50 eggs and caught the Clifford family by surprise. A female octopus can only lay 50 eggs in her lifetime.
According to media sites such as Daily Mail and USA Today, 36-year-old Cam Clifford, a dentist from Oklahoma, said that his son has been obsessed with octopuses since he was 3. “Every birthday, every Christmas, every holiday, he would always say: ‘All I want is an octopus’,” Cam said.
In October 2023, Cam intended to fulfill Cal’s wish to own an octopus. He contacted a local aquarium store that kept octopuses and bought a “California two-spot octopus,” which Cal had named Terrence.
Cal was filled with joy and burst into tears when he realized his wish had come true. Cam and Cal prepared to welcome the new aquatic pet by purchasing a large saltwater fish tank, a water cycling system, and food. When Terrence finally arrived in the Clifford home, they did not expect her to be larger than they anticipated. 2 months later, Terrence began laying eggs, which was normal for an octopus. What surprised the family more was all the eggs were fertile, and they all hatched.
One night in February this year, Cam picked up one of the eggs and was shocked. “I accidentally popped it, and this droplet comes out and spreads out these tiny tentacles and does three swim strokes across my viewpoint,” he said.
@doctoktopus Terrance signals the end of her life-cyxle, but we have no idea how mich time we have left wirh her. #octopus #marinebiology #shrimpdaddy #saltwateraquarium #fyp #cephalopod #petoctopus #aquarium #octomom #biology #mom
Only then did Cam realize that all 50 eggs laid by Terrence were fertile. All 50 eggs hatched, and out came 50 baby octopuses. Cam had to isolate the babies one by one and prepare all kinds of food for them, including snails, small crabs, and clams. The family spent thousands of dollars and had to arrange 50 separate homes for them. Other expenses included repairs for damages to the house from spilled water and a small electrical fire.
@doctoktopus They say, octopusi’ aint easy., but de-glamorozing the life of owning a very soecial and exotic pet, is necesssary to preparing for the journey you’ll take. #octopus #marinebiology #shrimpdaddy #saltwateraquarium #fyp #cephalopod #petoctopus #aquarium #octomom #clambake
2 months later, around half of the baby octopuses survived. Cam Clifford was busy contacting aquarium exhibits and research facilities to find a new home for the octopus babies. All 24 babies that survived were handed over to a scientist who lived nearby. Terrence is surprisingly still alive and well, living in her own tank.
“She will probably die in the next several weeks, although my assumptions of her have been wrong consistently,” Cam said. “She’s doing good. She is just living out the rest of her life in her tank by herself.”
Cam Clifford shared the family’s experience on TikTok, which unexpectedly garnered 400,000 followers. They affectionately called him the “Octopus Daddy.” It proved that the gift given on Cal’s 9th birthday was a father’s love for his son.
“I think there’s a lot of people out there that had this crazy pipe dream when they were a kid, and then it just kind of fizzled away as they got older,” Cam said. “I think they also really empathize with kind of this stereotypical story of a father who decides to give his child a pet, and then, of course, turns into the father almost taking exclusive care of that pet, except to the nines in this case.”
Images and Video credits: © Shoptopus @doctoktopus/TikTok
